Week13 - I read Chapter 4 again 'The Puzzle of Openness' - Jo HyeonSeong (조현성)

 1. Summarize in my your own words of materials that I read

Joseph Reagle's Good Faith Collaboration, Chapter 4, "The Puzzle of Openness," addresses the complexity of Wikipedia's core value of openness. Wikipedia claims to be an encyclopedia that anyone can edit, but in reality, there are many rules, social norms, and informal power structures at work. While openness promotes collaboration and participation, it can also lead to problems such as malicious users and edit wars. The author believes that Wikipedia's principles, such as "forget all the rules," emphasize freedom and flexibility, but they need to be applied responsibly so as not to disrupt the order of the community. In addition, forking content through free licenses is an important device of openness, and it also provides a means for finding alternatives when conflicts arise within Wikipedia. Reagle emphasizes that openness is not a mere ideal, but is actually maintained in the midst of social complexity and discipline, and concludes that true openness can only be realized when supported by structure and responsibility.

2. Mention of any new, interesting, or unusual items that I learned through lecture.

First, the concept of ‘openness’ goes beyond simply meaning that it is open to everyone, and in reality, it operates within various rules and power structures. Many college students think positively about ‘open source’ or ‘sharing culture,’ but this chapter shows how such openness can be misunderstood and sometimes operated by the implicit power of a few. This is a phenomenon that can be observed similarly in real college society or group projects, so it can be more deeply sympathized with. In addition, the possibility of ‘forking’ through Wikipedia’s free license is interesting in that it can move in a completely new direction when there is a conflict. Usually, when a conflict arises in collaboration, the conflict tends to lead to the end or failure, but Wikipedia institutionally allows and encourages such separation at the system level. This can be an opportunity for college students to rethink creative and autonomous collaboration models.

3. Identify at least one question, concern, or discussion angle that is either problematic in some respect or could have been elaborated more.

First, "Is openness always desirable?" Wikipedia claims to be an open encyclopedia that anyone can edit, but in reality, it operates within various rules and informal power structures among editors. This raises questions about the balance between openness and order, freedom and discipline. Therefore, the topic "Is limited openness more effective than complete openness in all collaborative systems?" can lead to deep discussions by connecting it to students' actual collaborative experiences. Also, "How does power work in digital collaborative spaces?" Even in Wikipedia, which seems to be a structure where everyone can participate equally, editing power is actually formed based on influential contributors or implicit norms. This makes us think about the distribution of power and democracy within online communities or digital platforms, and can expand the discussion to the question "How is power formed in online communities, and is it democratic?" These topics serve as a foundation for college students to actively think and speak out around the keywords of collaboration, power, and participation in the digital age.